Nefertiti T. Roldán Wong
PhD Candidate
Biology, Specialization in Chemical and Environmental Toxicology
Bio:
Nefertiti holds a BSc in Marine Biology from the Autonomous University of Baja California Sur and an MSc in Marine Resources Management from the Interdisciplinary Center for Marine Sciences (CICIMAR-IPN) in Mexico. In 2023, she began her Ph.D. in Biology with specialization in Chemical and Environmental Toxicology at the University of Ottawa.
Nefertiti’s academic path has been shaped by a strong passion for marine life, particularly cephalopods, and a growing concern about the impacts of pollution on coastal ecosystems and communities. She is particularly interested in advancing field-based multi-omics research and applying the One Health framework to bridge the gap between ecosystems and human health. Her work aims to address current gaps in marine pollution assessment by integrating molecular biology, environmental toxicology, and seafood safety research, to support sustainable marine resource management in vulnerable regions.
Research Project:
Working with the Chan Lab, Nefertiti is investigating the impacts of mining pollution on the marine ecosystem and human health, using a coastal town in the Gulf of California as a case study.
She uses toxic element analysis, and multi-omics approaches (proteomics and metabolomics) to investigate how pollution affects marine ecosystems, from mussels and octopuses to top marine predators. By linking molecular biomarkers, food web responses, and human dietary risks in a One Health framework, her research aims to provide novel tools for assessing marine pollution in a holistic, community-relevant manner, offering scalable approaches applicable to other mining-impacted coastal regions worldwide.
Publications:
2024. Yee-Duarte J.A., Roldán-Wong N.T., Arellano-Martínez A. Reduction in reproductive activity from degeneration of testicular follicles in Megapitaria squalida (Mollusca: Bivalvia) exposed to metal pollution in the Gulf of California. Marine Pollution Bulletin. DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2024.116648
2023. Eraso Ordoñez J.F., Yee-Duarte J.A., Roldán-Wong N.T., Arellano-Martínez M. Histopathological alterations in the gonads of wild white clam, Dosinia ponderosa, inhabiting a former copper mine locality in the Gulf of California. Journal of Aquatic Animal Health. DOI: 10.1002/aah.10184
2023. Roldán-Wong N.T., Ceballos-Vázquez B.P., Yee-Duarte J.A., Camacho-Mondragón M.A., Kidd K.A., Shumilin E., Arellano-Martínez A. Health risk assessment of metals and arsenic via consumption of commercial bivalves in the Gulf of California, Mexico. Environmental Science and Pollution Research. DOI: 10.1007/s11356-023-25841-9
2023. Camacho-Mondragón M.A., Morelos-Castro R.M., Yee-Duarte J.A., Roldán-Wong N.T., Arellano-Martínez M. Advancing the knowledge of the nematode Echinocephalus pseudouncinatus (Gnathostomatidae, Spirurida): Morphological and molecular identification, new host, and host specificity in two coexisting pen shells (Bivalvia: Pinnidae). Journal of Invertebrate Pathology. DOI: 10.1016/j.jip.2023.107923
2020. Yee-Duarte J.A., Racotta I.S., Camacho-Mondragón M.A., Roldán-Wong N.T., Carreño-León D.P., Shumilin E., Kidd K.A., Arellano-Martínez A. Contrasting reproductive health of female clams Megapitaria squalida from two nearby metal-polluted sites in the Gulf of California: Potential effects of copper, lead, and cobalt Marine Pollution Bulletin. DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2020.111583
2020. Roldán-Wong N.T., Kidd K. A., Ceballos-Vázquez B. P., Rivera-Camacho A.R., and Arellano-Martínez M. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in mussels (Modiolus capax) from sites with increasing anthropogenic impact in La Paz Bay, Gulf of California. Regional Studies in Marine Science. DOI: 10.1016/j.rsma.2019.100948
2018. Roldán-Wong N.T., Kidd K. A., Ceballos-Vázquez B. P., and Arellano-Martínez M. Is there a risk to humans from consuming octopus species from sites with high environmental levels of metals? Bulletin of Environmental Contamination and Toxicology. DOI: 10.1007/s00128-018-2447-9
2018. Roldán-Wong N.T., Kidd K. A., Marmolejo-Rodríguez A. J., Ceballos-Vázquez B. P., Shumilin E. and Arellano-Martínez M. Bioaccumulation and biomagnification of potentially toxic elements in the octopus Octopus hubbsorum from the Gulf of California. Marine Pollution Bulletin. DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2017.10.014
Presentations:
2025. CSMB-PRinCE Joint Conference. Poster. Evaluating Octopus Ink as a Non-Lethal Indicator of Molecular Stress Responses to Mining Pollution in Marine Molluscs. Ottawa. May 26-29th.
2023. 49th Annual Canadian Ecotoxicity Workshop. Platform Presentation. Understanding the knowledge gaps in using toxicogenomic approaches for assessing aquatic ecosystem health. Ottawa. October 2-5.
2022. XVI National Meeting of Malacology and Conchiliology. Platform Presentation. Human health risk assessment for the consumption of metals and arsenic in bivalves of commercial importance from the Gulf of California. La Paz, Mexico. October 10-14.
2022. Cephalopod International Advisory Council Conference. Poster. Quantitative morphological comparison of the digestive tract in cephalopods and comparison with fish. Sesimbra, Portugal. April 2-8.
2019. XV National Meeting of Malacology and Conchiliology. Platform Presentation. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in mussels (Modiolus capax) from sites with increasing anthropogenic impact in the Gulf of California. Poster. Cephalopod Citizen Science in Mexico and the world: filling information gaps and raising awareness. Merida, Mexico. October 8-11.
2018. Cephalopod International Advisory Council Conference. Platform Presentation. Consume octopus species from sites polluted with metals, a risk to human health? St. Petersburg, Florida, USA. November 2-16.
2017. Cephs In Action and CIAC Meeting. Poster. Bioaccumulation and biomagnification of metals in the octopus Octopus hubbsorum from the Santa Rosalia mining harbour, Gulf of California, México. Crete, Greece. March 28-31.